Culture compass Spain
Typically Spanish!
Family comes first…
Family comes first, then friends, says our Culture Compass Spain. Not only the closely related family members, but the family in the broadest sense is central to the Spanish way of life.
…then work, and then friends.
In addition to the family, close and respectful relationships are the focus of social life. This goes hand in hand with great hospitality, whereby the individual also takes time for their colleagues at work. Don’t be surprised if a member foots the bill for any coworkers present who shared an after-work drink with at a bar.
Culture Compass Spain: Attitudes and Norms.
The value of good relationships
The Spaniards tend to minimize physical, psychological and social distance in communication and maintain a people-oriented style of communication. Pertinent information is conveyed in the conversation, but it is secondary. Again, the relationship is more important than the factual content. Spaniards would never end a conversation due to time constraints, preferring to just ignore the time (Thomas, 2009).
Hierarchy and leadership
A too factual and inscrutable behavior of the supervisor comes across as cool to Spanish employees and could be misunderstood as antipathy or social distancing.
Tertulias and Communication style
So-called “Tertulias” are usually informal meetings that are held periodically to comment, discuss or give opinions on current affairs or interests in the literary, artistic, philosophical, scientific, political and even sports fields.
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Culture Compass Spain: Hints for Team-Leaders.
Despite the friendly manners that are characteristic of Spanish companies and the familiar working atmosphere between supervisors and employees due to the first-name form, they always remain aware of who is the boss and who is the subordinate. Decisions are often made alone by the managing directors. Employees must follow the hierarchical paths and information flows mainly top-down. Depending on the industry and the size of the company, it can be seen in many companies that supervisors delegate little or no responsibility at all to their employees. Conversely, many employees also expect their superiors to assume responsibility alone.
Cultural Dimensions (according to Hofstede).
